James 1:18

King James Version

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

Simplified Cowboy Version
He had the old trail marked out with truth since the beginning. We are, out of everything on his ranch, his favorite accomplishment.

Bible in Basic English
Of his purpose he gave us being, by his true word, so that we might be, in a sense, the first-fruits of all the things which he had made.

Darby Translation
According to his own will begat he us by the word of truth, that we should be a certain first-fruits of *his* creatures.

World English Bible
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Weymouth's New Testament
In accordance with His will He made us His children through the Message of the truth, so that we might, in a sense, be the Firstfruits of the things which He has created.

King James Version (1611)
Of his owne will begate hee vs, with the word of Trueth, that wee should bee a kinde of first fruites of his creatures.

Literal Translation
Having purposed, He brought us forth by the Word of truth, for us to be a certain firstfruit of His creatures.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Of his awne will begat he vs with the worde of life, that we shulde be the fyrst frutes of his creatures.

Mace New Testament (1729)
'tis he that has voluntarily renew'd us by the oracles of truth, that we might be the first converts of the new creation.

Amplified Bible
It was of His own will that He gave us birth [as His children] by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of His creatures [a prime example of what He created to be set apart to Himself—sanctified, made holy for His divine purposes].

American Standard Version
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.

Revised Standard Version
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Of his awne will begat he vs with the worde of lyfe that we shuld be the fyrst frutes of his creatures.

Update Bible Version
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Webster's Bible Translation
Of his own will he hath begotten us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.

Young's Literal Translation
having counselled, He did beget us with a word of truth, for our being a certain first-fruit of His creatures.

New Century Version
God decided to give us life through the word of truth so we might be the most important of all the things he made.

New English Translation
By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Berean Standard Bible
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.

Contemporary English Version
He wanted us to be his own special people, and so he sent the true message to give us new birth.

Complete Jewish Bible
Having made his decision, he gave birth to us through a Word that can be relied upon, in order that we should be a kind of firstfruits of all that he created.

English Standard Version
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Of his owne will begate hee vs with the woorde of trueth, that we shoulde be as the first fruites of his creatures.

George Lamsa Translation
It is he, who begot us of his own will with the word of truth, that we should be the firstfruits of his creatures.

Christian Standard Bible®
By His own choice, He gave us a new birth by the message of truth so that we would be the firstfruits of His creatures.

Hebrew Names Version
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

International Standard Version
In accordance with his will he made us his children by the word of truth, so that we might become the most important of his creatures.a kind of first fruits among his creatures">[fn]Jeremiah 2:3; John 1:13; 3:3; 1 Corinthians 4:15; Ephesians 1:12; 1 Peter 1:23; Revelation 14:4;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
He willed, and begat us by the word of truth, that we might be the first-ones of his creatures.

Murdock Translation
He saw fit, and begat us by the word of truth; that we might be the first-fruits of his creatures.

New King James Version
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

New Living Translation
He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

New Life Bible
He gave us our new lives through the truth of His Word only because He wanted to. We are the first children in His family.

English Revised Version
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

New Revised Standard
In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Because he was so minded, he hath brought us forth with a word of truth, to the end we should be a sort of firstfruit of his creatures

Douay-Rheims Bible
For of his own will hath he begotten us by the word of truth, that we might be some beginning of his creature.

Lexham English Bible
By his will he gave birth to us through the message of truth, so that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Of his owne wyll begat he vs with the worde of trueth, that we shoulde be the first fruites of his creatures.

Easy-to-Read Version
God decided to give us life through the true message he sent to us. He wanted us to be the most important of all that he created.

New American Standard Bible
In the exercise of His will He gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

Good News Translation
By his own will he brought us into being through the word of truth, so that we should have first place among all his creatures.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For wilfulli he bigat vs bi the word of treuthe, that we be a bigynnyng of his creature.

Contextual Overview

¹³ Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: ¹⁴ But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. ¹⁵ Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. ¹⁶ Do not err, my beloved brethren. ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. ¹⁸ Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

his own: John 1:13, John 3:3-5, Romans 4:17, Romans 8:29-31, Romans 9:15-18, Ephesians 2:4, Ephesians 2:5, Colossians 1:20, Colossians 1:21, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Thessalonians 2:14, 1 Peter 1:3, 1 Peter 1:23

with: James 1:21, 1 Corinthians 4:15, Ephesians 1:12, 1 Peter 1:23, 1 John 3:9

kind: Leviticus 23:10, Jeremiah 2:3, Amos 6:1, *marg. Hebrews 12:23, Revelation 14:4

Reciprocal: Exodus 4:22 - Israel Exodus 22:29 - shalt not delay Exodus 34:26 - first Leviticus 23:17 - the firstfruits Numbers 8:17 - I sanctified Numbers 15:20 - a cake Numbers 28:26 - in the day Deuteronomy 26:2 - That thou shalt 2 Chronicles 31:5 - came abroad Psalms 17:4 - word Psalms 119:43 - take not Psalms 119:50 - for thy Isaiah 55:11 - shall my Jeremiah 31:3 - with lovingkindness have I drawn Ezekiel 44:30 - all the firstfruits Daniel 11:3 - do Matthew 13:38 - the good Matthew 20:15 - it John 6:63 - the words Romans 9:16 - General Romans 10:17 - faith Romans 11:16 - if the firstfruit Romans 16:5 - who 1 Corinthians 12:11 - as 2 Corinthians 6:7 - the word Galatians 4:19 - little Ephesians 1:13 - the word Ephesians 1:19 - exceeding Ephesians 5:26 - by Philippians 1:29 - not 1 Thessalonians 2:13 - effectually Hebrews 4:12 - is quick Hebrews 6:4 - and have Hebrews 8:10 - I will put 1 Peter 4:2 - the will 1 John 2:29 - is born 1 John 5:1 - and every 1 John 5:18 - whosoever

Cross-References

Psalms 19:6
His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

Jeremiah 31:35
Thus saith the Lord , which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Of his own will begat he us,.... The apostle instances in one of those good and perfect gifts, regeneration; and he pitches upon a very proper and pertinent one, since this is the first gift of grace God bestows upon his people openly, and in their own persons; and is what involves other gifts, and prepares and makes meet for the gift of eternal life; and therefore may well be reckoned a "good" one, and it is also a "perfect one"; it is done at once; there are no degrees in it, as in sanctification; a man is born again, at once, and is born a perfect new man in all his parts; no one is more regenerated than another, or the same person more regenerated at one time than at another: and this comes from above; it is called a being born from above, in John 3:3 as the words there may be rendered; and it comes from God the Father, even the Father of our Lord Jesus, as well as of all lights, 1 Peter 1:3 and who in it produces light, in darkness, and whose gifts of grace bestowed along with it are without repentance. And since this comes from him, he cannot be the author of evil, or tempt unto it. This is a settled and certain point, that all the good that is in men, and is done by them, comes from God; and all the evil that is in them, and done by them, is of themselves. This act of begetting here ascribed to God, is what is elsewhere called a begetting again, that is, regeneration; it is an implantation of new principles of light and life, grace and holiness, in men; a quickening of them, when dead in trespasses and sins; a forming of Christ in their souls; and a making them partakers of the divine nature; and this is God's act, and not man's. Earthly parents cannot beget in this sense; nor ministers of the word, not causally, but only instrumentally, as they are instruments and means, which God makes use of; neither the ministry of the word, nor the ordinance of baptism, can of themselves regenerate any; nor can a man beget himself, as not in nature, so not in grace: the nature of the thing shows it, and the impotent case of men proves it: this is God's act, and his only; see John 1:13 and the impulsive or moving cause of it is his own will. God does not regenerate, or beget men by necessity of nature, but of his own free choice; Christ, the Son of God, is begotten of him by necessity of nature, and not as the effect of his will; he is the brightness of his glory necessarily, as the beams and rays of light are necessarily emitted by the sun; but so it is not in regeneration: nor does God regenerate men through any consideration of their will, works, and merits: nor have these any influence at all upon it; but he begets of his own free grace and favour, and of his rich and abundant mercy, and of his sovereign will and pleasure, according to his counsels and purposes of old. And the means he makes use of, or with which he does it, is

with the word of truth; not Christ, who is the Word, and truth itself; though regeneration is sometimes ascribed to him; and this act of begetting is done by the Father, through the resurrection of Christ from the dead; but the Gospel, which is the word of truth, and truth itself, and contains nothing but truth; and by this souls are begotten and born again; see Ephesians 1:13 and hence ministers of it are accounted spiritual fathers. Faith, and every other grace in regeneration, and even the Spirit himself, the Regenerator, come this way: and the end is,

that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures; either of his new creatures, and so it has respect to such, as James, and others; who received the firstfruits of the Spirit, who first hoped and trusted in Christ, and were openly in him, and converted to him before others; or of his creatures, of mankind in general, who, with the Jews, are usually called creatures; Ephesians 1:13- :, and designs those who are redeemed from among men, and are the firstfruits to God, and to the Lamb, as their regeneration makes appear: and this shows that such as are begotten again, or regenerated, are separated and distinguished from others, as the firstfruits be; and that they are preferred unto, and are more excellent than the rest of mankind, being made so by the grace of God; and that they are by regenerating grace devoted to the service of God, and are formed for his praise and glory.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Of his own will - Greek “willing.” βουληθεὶς boulētheis. The idea is, that the fact that we are “begotten” to be his children is to be traced solely to his will. He purposed it, and it was done. The antecedent in the case on which all depended was the sovereign will of God. See this sentiment explained in the notes at John 1:13. Compare the notes at Ephesians 1:5. When it is said, however, that he has done this by his mere will, it is not to be inferred that there was no reason why it should be done, or that the exercise of his will was arbitrary, but only that his will determined the matter, and that is the cause of our conversion. It is not to be inferred that there are not in all cases good reasons why God wills as he does, though those reasons are not often stated to us, and perhaps we could not comprehend them if they were. The object of the statement here seems to be to direct the mind up to God as the source of good and not evil; and among the most eminent illustrations of his goodness is this, that by his mere will, without any external power to control him, and where there could be nothing but benevolence, he has adopted us into his family, and given us a most exalted condition, as renovated beings, among his creatures.

Begat he us - The Greek word here is the same which in James 1:15 is rendered “bringeth forth,” - “sin bringeth forth death.” The word is perhaps designedly used here in contrast with that, and the object is to refer to a different kind of production, or bringing forth, under the agency of sin, and the agency of God. The meaning here is, that we owe the beginning of our spiritual life to God.

With the word of truth - By the instrumentality of truth. It was not a mere creative act, but it was by truth as the seed or germ. There is no effect produced in our minds in regeneration which the truth is not fitted to produce, and the agency of God in the case is to secure its fair and full influence on the soul.

That we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures - Compare Ephesians 1:12. For the meaning of the word rendered “first-fruits,” see the note at Romans 8:23. Compare Romans 11:6; Romans 16:5; 1Co 15:20, 1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Corinthians 16:15; Revelation 14:4. It does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament It denotes, properly, that which is first taken from anything; the portion which was usually offered to God. The phrase here does not primarily denote eminence in honor or degree, but refers rather to time - the first in time; and in a secondary sense it is then used to denote the honor attached to that circumstance. The meaning here is, either.

(1)That, under the gospel, those who were addressed by the apostles had the honor of being first called into his kingdom as a part of that glorious harvest which it was designed to gather in this world, and that the goodness of God was manifested in thus furnishing the first-fruits of a most glorious harvest; or,

(2)The reference may be to the rank and dignity which all who are born again would have among the creatures of God in virtue of the new birth.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 18. Of his own will begat he us — God's will here is opposed to the lust of man, James 1:15; his truth, the means of human salvation, to the sinful means referred to in the above verse; and the new creatures, to the sin conceived and brought forth, as above. As the will of God is essentially good, all its productions must be good also; as it is infinitely pure, all its productions must be holy. The word or doctrine of truth, what St. Paul calls the word of the truth of the Gospel, Colossians 1:5, is the means which God uses to convert souls.

A kind of first fruits — By creatures we are here to understand the Gentiles, and by first fruits the Jews, to whom the Gospel was first sent; and those of them that believed were the first fruits of that astonishing harvest which God has since reaped over the whole Gentile world. Romans 8:19, &c. There is a remarkable saying in Philo on this subject, De Allegoris, lib. ii. p. 101: God begat Isaac, for he is the father of the perfect nature, σπειρων εν ταις ψυχαις, sowing seed in souls, and begetting happiness.